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Comment by schmichael | Hacker News Reader

The government, local, state, or federal, should have the opportunity to nationalize unused infrastructure like this. Give Chevron an opportunity to tear it down or turn it on, but otherwise pay a market rate just like with eminent domain and let the turbines spin.

I'm guessing this was just some greenwashing by Chevron to avoid being forced to actually cleanup their nuclear waste.

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Note that Texas has a long history of taking a “hands off” approach to energy companies abusing the public commons:

https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/28/abandoned-oil-wells-...

The people that complain about water table corruption and the people that complain about view corruption are in the same boat: the governments of Texas don’t care. Perhaps they’ll vote in a government more interested in regulation someday, but until then — or, at least, until four years from now — Texas voters are the sole group able to take action to change that approach. 40% didn’t vote this month, so there’s lots of opportunity there!

The same government that is prohibiting construction of the transmission lines to move that power to where it would be used?

I have a little experience on this aspect. There are tons of local governments who weigh in on the location of these lines and that can be a contentious process to get buy-in from them.

The government, local, state, or federal, should have the opportunity to allow the owner to sell to people who want the electricity. Most of the investment is done.

Maybe one could even say that this is a kind of blight and a reason to use eminent domain, so that it could be done without any changes in law.

It's in the middle of nowhere. Plenty of other empty land in the area. If Chevron owns that land, then the government should fuck right off and let them do what they want with it.

Sounds like the people who live there might beg to differ with you.

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